Topic: Focus
All Content
-
Focus
Surging storms: Can the US adapt in time to avert coastal damage?Damage from severe storms such as Sandy is likely to escalate by the end of the century as the population grows and people continue to build along the Eastern Seaboard.
-
Focus
How will New York keep out a rising sea? Dikes, huge sea wall, oyster beds?After superstorm Sandy, New York officials look for long-term solutions against future floods from storm surges. Many options, little consensus.
-
Focus
Veterans Day: When vets run afoul of the law, these courts careModeled after local drug or family courts, veterans courts are springing up, stressing rehabilitation and mentoring over jail time. Is it special treatment, or deserved consideration?
-
Focus
Japan's leaders give up on quitting nuclear powerAlthough Japan's 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster set much of the public against nuclear power, politicians are not convinced.
-
Focus
Japan's nuclear dilemma: Is geothermal the answer?Japan's hot spring operators were once vocal opponents of geothermal power, which, along with other forms of renewable energy, is now being considered as an alternative to nuclear power.
-
Focus
Japan's nuclear dilemma: What to do with all that nuclear waste?Japanese citizens are balking at the lack of information and supervision of waste stored in public places, such as playgrounds.
-
Focus
What will the Afghanistan war legacy be?Much of the Soviets' development work got wiped out by a civil war in the 1990s. But the scope of the effort then was limited compared with the work today.
-
Focus
Crunch time in Ohio, as Obama, Romney blitz to get out the voteBoth campaigns are swarming Ohio, knocking on doors and making phone calls to potential voters. In these last crucial days, getting out the vote in what may be the deciding state of Election 2012 is paramount.
-
Focus
MS-13 labeled transnational criminal organization. Who are the 'Maras?'The MS-13 gang is one of many 'maras,' or street gangs, that started in the US and spread into Central America, particularly El Salvador. Here's a brief history.
-
Focus
Can a gang truce in El Salvador open the door to lasting peace?For years El Salvador battled gangs with prison sentences and an iron fist. But a gang truce brokered in March has lasted longer than anyone expected, with homicide rates plummeting.
-
Focus
Covered in tattoos, can El Salvador's gangs reintegrate into society?With tattoos even on their faces, members of El Salvador's rival Ms-13 and 18th Street gangs may not be able to hide alliances they've forsaken. That's just one challenge they face.
-
Focus
Obama or Romney: Whose debt reduction plan does history favor?The two presidential candidates would pursue different paths to lead the US out of debt. Here's how debt-saddled countries of yore have dealt – successfully and unsuccessfully – with the problem, and how those lessons might apply today.
-
Focus
As sanctions crush rial's value, Iranians point fingers at AhmadinejadWestern leaders may finally be seeing the result of stringent sanctions as Iranians blame their government, not the US and EU, for the precipitous economic decline of the oil-rich country.
-
Focus
Iran sanctions: playing the long gameIran has endured three decades of US sanctions. Have they worked? Yes and no.
-
Focus
Are ballot initiatives broken? California offers cluesDo ballot initiatives put power in the hands of the voters, or are they another tool for special interests to dominate politics? California's experiences – both good and bad – make it an important laboratory for 'direct democracy.'
-
Focus
Election 2012: Ballot initiatives reflect nation's moodThe 174 propositions on state ballots point to evolving opinions on marijuana, same-sex marriage, health care, and more. Do the initiatives show the power of direct democracy or lack of legislative leadership?
-
Focus
Vladimir Putin 2.0: A harder, eastward-looking presidencyVladimir Putin, once again in the Kremlin's top post, faces a far more divided Russia than he did during his first stint, and he's taking a more authoritarian line to match.
-
Focus
Anti-Putin opposition groups still finding their wayDespite the Russian opposition's ability to rally tens of thousands of protesters, it remains an eclectic mix of parties both left and right. Will opposing Putin be enough to keep them united?
-
Focus
Obama's new program for young illegal immigrants: How is it going?More than 82,000 young illegal immigrants have applied for a work permit under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). But the November elections could be key to what happens next.
-
Focus
Election 2012: Can Democrats retake the House?The Democrats 'drive for 25' is unrealistic as analysts predict Republicans will lose only 12 House seats in Election 2012. One GOP advantage: Conservative 'super PACs' will spend 'tens of millions.'
-
Focus
Election 2012: In Senate, a mighty struggle to maintain status quoThe battle for the Senate now looks like a standoff with neither Republicans nor Democrats likely to win the 60 seats needed for political control. Will partisan gridlock change after Election 2012?
-
Focus
Why China, Japan dispute islands once home to just albatross feathers and fishAside from national pride, ownership could give Japan or China control of oil and gas resources.
-
Focus
China and Japan face off: Tiny islands, big dispute (+video)The China and Japan face off over five islands has sunk relations to a 40-year low - the worst since diplomatic relations began. But the sabre rattling is just for show, say analysts.
-
Focus
Can GOP survive its 'minority problem'?Polls show that the GOP continues to be 'the party of old, white men' – and that could be decisive in the 2012 presidential election. Demographics suggest that the party must change, and soon.
-
Focus
Anti-Islam video clip spotlights difference in global free speech limitsIf the makers of the film 'Innocence of Muslims' – a clip of which sparked violent protests across the region – were Egyptian, they could be imprisoned.
Previous
Become part of the Monitor community